The Inspiration Behind Never Natalie

The Inspiration Behind Never Natalie

By A.J. Walkley

They say a book is a baby, some authors taking about nine months from conception to completion before birthing their new work into the world for all to read. For me, my newest title had the longest gestation of any of my books to date at just shy of 10 years. And part of the reason for that lengthy period of time was fear – fear that I wasn’t the right writer for this project.

Never Natalie is a sequel to my first novel, Queer Greer. It tells the tale of Natalie Richards, a young woman who knew something was different about her since the age of five. But she didn’t have the words to talk about what that difference was. She grows into herself more and comes out as a lesbian by high school – but something about that label doesn’t sit right with her. It isn’t until college that Natalie knows who they are and finds it impossible to live life the way they have been living it any longer – Natalie isn’t Natalie at all, but Nate, a straight man stuck in a body that has never made sense.

As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community myself, I feel that I have a duty to get the diverse voices and stories of that community out there; the entire community. I had written Queer Greer because I didn’t have a story or book to turn to when I was coming out as bisexual years ago. After writing that novel, I knew Greer’s story wasn’t finished, but I didn’t think I wanted her as the protagonist in another book. I thought about the other members of my community, including my friends and past lovers of mine, and realized the sequel needed to go in a completely different direction.

I wrote the foundation of Never Natalie during two different rounds of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and added still more to it. I didn’t go into this book blind, or thinking I knew anything about the transgender journey or experience. I poured through research. Newspaper and journal articles, novels, and books. The thought that I would misrepresent this already misunderstood community kept me up at night and led me to do further research. I also reached out to my activist community, and my transgender and non-binary friends. I had many of them read early drafts of my manuscript to check for accuracy of Nate’s experience and to make sure I avoided stereotypes and cliches. 

And then I put Never Natalie away for 6 years.

The fear had resurfaced. I know there will always be critics of any piece of art or storytelling that anyone puts out to the masses. It’s impossible to please everyone. But I feared offending or hurting the community I loved, a community that I am a fierce ally for. I’ve worked on transgender violence projects in the past. I know how much this community has been and continues to be terrorized. The last thing I wanted was to add to that in any way, shape, or form.

But this year, with “Don’t Say Gay” bills popping up and passing in the United States; with Texas and other states making laws to further harm trans people – I knew this book had a place. Never Natalie has a powerful message of awareness and acceptance, not just for transgender youth who may need a book like this, but for friends, parents, caregivers, allies and beyond. Nate is a beautiful person who deserves a life of love and joy, just like every single other trans and enby individual in the world.

So, I dragged my manuscript out of the proverbial drawer, dusted it off, gave it a bit of a rewrite, and sent it to another set of critical readers. The reviews coming back are beyond positive, and I am so grateful to be able to share this story now.

I am sure there will still be critics – there always are. But I am hopeful that Never Natalie and Nate will help people more than anything. If there is just one person I can help by getting this book out into the world, that is all that matters.

Nine years ago I went the crowdfunding route with another one of my books, enjoying the collaboration process and bringing people into the publishing experience with me. I decided to do the same with Never Natalie. This is the fastest way to get this book into the hands of readers – and offer some pretty cool rewards along the way, all with a bent to the LGBTQIA+ community, including stickers, keychains, bookmarks, and bracelets sporting pride flag colors and charms. Higher backers can even get their name as a character in my next novel or get the book dedicated to them! Once I have the funding and my book is out, proceeds from sales will be donated to The Trevor Project to further assist the community I love.

Because I wrote this book for the larger LGBTQIA+ community, I wanted to bring that community into the book birthing process. In that sense, I am glad I shelved this book for half a decade. I think this is the perfect time for Never Natalie to be born.

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A.J. Walkley is the author of three books, with two available on Amazon and a third to come. Interested in supporting Never Natalie? Donate to Walkley’s Kickstarter. Follow Walkley on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and check out her pieces in The Huffington Post. A.J. has previously contributed to Women Writers, Women Books, in a piece about Queer Greer.

 

 

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